AMERICA SHORT AT LEAST 500,000 POLL WORKERS

A shortage of at least 500,000 poll workers nationwide means many voters could face long lines, cranky volunteers, polling places that don’t open or close on schedule, and the chance that results won’t be known until long after the polls are closed.

Roughly 1.4 million people have been trained to serve as poll workers on tomorrow, about the same as four years ago, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. But nearly 2 million will be needed to deal with expected heavy turnout, huge numbers of first-time voters and unfamiliar touch-screen machines in hundreds of counties.

Desperate for workers, the Election Assistance Commission urged businesses and federal agencies to give volunteers the day off with pay to staff the polls. But as the last deadline for training new workers passed Friday, critical shortages remained in many states.

“If the criminal justice system didn’t have access to jurors, the criminal justice system wouldn’t exist. Poll workers are just as important as jurors,” said DeForest Soaries Jr., chairman of the EAC and former New Jersey secretary of state.

The shortage is acute in urban areas where workers should be able to speak multiple languages. Mr. Soaries is most worried about New York City, Washington, St. Louis, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Election officials also are struggling to motivate volunteers: For every three poll workers trained, only two show up on election day.

– Associated Press